-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Obama administration may very well be right that the attack in Benghazi which claimed the lives of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other U.S. officials was part of a pre-planned terrorist operation . It would have happened sooner or later regardless of any protests against an obscure anti-Islam film made in America .

The attack apparently occurred because in recent days , the al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri posted a video online calling on Libyans to avenge the killing of al-Qaeda 's second in command , Abu Yahya al-Libi .

According to our own sources at Quilliam Foundation , the attack was the work of roughly 20 militants prepared for a military assault . It is rare , for example , that an RPG7 -- an anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher -- would be present at a civilian protest . The attack against the consulate had two waves . The first attack led to U.S. officials being evacuated from the consulate by Libyan security forces , only for the second wave to be launched against U.S. officials after they were kept at a secure location .

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Jihadists will want the world to believe that the attack is just a part of the protests against an amateur film produced in the U.S. , which includes crude insults regarding the Prophet Mohammed . They will want the world to think that their actions represent a popular Libyan and wider Muslim reaction ; thus , reversing the perception of jihadists being outcasts from their own societies . Since there were similar protests in Egypt against the film , it is possible that more protests may erupt in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan .

The jihadists may also feel that by killing U.S. citizens , they will win the support of local populations . They are wrong .

This attack was committed by a small group of extremists who do not represent the Libyan population . They seek to destroy any reconstruction attempts in my mother country . As often is the case , extremists try to take advantage of the absence of security in a country that has just gotten out of a civil war . They try so hard to destabilize the peace that the majority of the population have fought so hard to establish .

Ambassador Stevens himself was well known for advocating peace and stability in Libya . The recent election results in the country are testament to his conviction that Libya can achieve progress . That Libyans did not vote the radicals into office in the elections proves that Libya is not a nation of extremists . The extremists ' response to their electoral defeat comes in a language they relish : Violence .

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The attack on the U.S. consulate is a truly tragic event . Libya has lost one of the few foreign figures that really sought to invest time and energy into our country and believed in its future . Ambassador Stevens was one of a select number of international public figures based in Libya , who had refused to give up on Libya and its deteriorating security situation in recent months . He was an extremely successful envoy , who traveled the country to meet with all groups of Libyan society , and did not confine himself to international circles in the capital . No village or town was too far , and he was always keen to understand local customs . His death is a loss not just for Americans , but for many Libyans .

I hope that the Libyan government will take this time to reflect on the security vacuum in the country , in particular around Benghazi , and rebuild the defense and security sectors in an accountable , professional and responsible manner . I also hope that Libyan authorities will look to revise their policy of disarmament , demobilization and reintegration -LRB- DDR -RRB- so that the situation on the ground can be improved .

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We have welcomed the international community into our country , and I know that we want to continue our collaboration with the NATO community and member states , including , and especially , with the United States . These countries helped free us from the tyrannical rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi , who was in power for 42 years . Many Libyans are forever grateful to America for its support in freeing our country from dictatorship .

This attack does not reflect the attitude of the Libyan population . For the international community , withdrawal of support from Libya will only play directly into the hands of jihadists , and that is the opposite of what we should do .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Noman Benotman .

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U.S. consulate in Libya was attacked ; some thought it was because of a video

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Noman Benotman : The attack was most likely a pre-planned terrorist operation

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He says attack does not represent views of most Libyans , who are grateful to U.S.

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Benotman : The international community must not give up on Libya 's reconstruction